compare/contrast: Akshaye Khanna and John Cusack

My superwow friend Celi brought up this comparison today. (And just so you know whose brain you're dealing with, Celi is also the co-founder of the [Somewhat Un]official Shashi Kapoor Fan Club on Facebook. Yeah!) Here are the smilarities I've come up with so far:

both have close family members also prominent in the film industry (sister Joan; father Vinod)

both tend to avoid media fracas and keep their private lives relatively private

both have acting skills far beyond the general quality of many of the productions they're in (America's Sweethearts, Serendipity; Shaadi Se Pehle, Aap Ki Khatir)

If it weren't for DCH I'm not sure if I could have done much with this idea, and now that I'm thinking about it, Sid is a very John Cusacky sort of role. (Sorry to sound Hollywood-centric; that's my first frame of reference for movies, and John's been acting longer anyway.) Admittedly I have seen and am generally familiar with far more of John's movies than Akshaye's, and I'm finding no comparison for the fantastically weird Being John Malkovich, the fantastically interesting Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and the fantastically dark and wickedly funny Grosse Pointe Blank (one of my favorite movies, by the way). This mental exercise is also reminding me that apart from Being Cyrus, I can't even think of any off-beat comedies in Hindi in the last ten years that would be the kind of things that would make a truly fair comparison of roles and overall feel of projects. So we'll have to go for style and approach, I think. Celi is definitely on to something: choosy-ish actors who can nail the rom-com hero roles when they want to but usually opt for other types of projects that don't garner them the mass attention and/or recognition that they could have gotten had they taken easier paths.

What say all of you? And can anyone find a clip of John Cusack hoofing it so we can have a dance-off?

My vote for choreography is this violent but weirdly beautiful clip from Grosse Pointe Blank. http://youtube.com/watch?v=jD1peY-aiZwI've been known to watch this scene repeatedly because his movements are so impressive. It helps to be tall and wear a stylin' black suit, I'm sure.

Hmm thats some comparison! Dancing definitely doesnt seem like AK's forte. He manages to make a complete fool of himself next to Madhuri in one-of-those-love-triangles. But I must admit I think he is a great actor and a cute one that too. Too bad he had to resort to hair weaving.

On a second thought, I like Rahul Khanna, the sibling, even better. 1947: The Earth was one of his stunning performances I think.

i'm with memsaab on this one. cusack, thumbs up. AK, thumbs down. but then i have the mess that was hungama to remember him by. i didn't appreciate him in the coke commercial that is taal either. at least he shaves his head to deal with the receding hairline. better than a combover.

Enjoyed reading your comparison of Akshaye and John Cusack. Both are terrific. And - by the way - I like Akshaye's dancing. Fluid and soulful.Especially in DOLI SAJA KE RAKHNA. You mentioned you couldn't think of any strong off-beat Hindi comedies from the past decade. Check out WAISE BHI HOTA HAI PART II(2003, directed by Shashanka Ghosh). It's one of a kind, darkly funny and very affecting. Arshad Warsi stars (he's excellent)and there's a strange little subplot involving Mahima Chaudhary (playing herself). But the standout performance comes from a marvelous young actor called Prashant Narayanwho plays a melancholy, charismatic gangster with Akshaye-like intensity.

Moana - I'm no fan of Hungama either (though oddly I like Hulchul). As much as I miss his hair, I'm all for aging gracefully.

Love your post on "Dard-e-Disco"! :)

CanadianKen (great name, by the way) - I still haven't seen DSKR but by all accounts need to. His dancing overall is by no means my favorite, but I'd say it's adequate at worst, generally speaking, and sometimes quite fun. My favorite example is the engagement party song in Kudrat, where he gets to be quite winking and saucy. Thank you for the film recommendation - that sounds exactly my cup of tea.

OMG! You are really on to something! They do have a lot in common (and they attract similar fans, like you and me!!).

Akshaye and John at a cocktail party. What fun would that be???

BTW - have you seen the pics of Aishwarya on the red carpet at Cannes with Eva Longoria? I thought it was interesting. I wonder if they are friends or if their limos simply arrived at the same time... hmmm....

A friend of mine named Sandhya wrote a nice little post on JC where she made this comment:

Most of his roles are about the guy in checked shirts who’s quite cool in an ‘alternative’ sense who almost got the girl. He’s the Jeaneane Garofalo of romance. And therefore more attainable. Yet worth pursuing when you’ve figured out that the sexy scowling professional salsa dancer is interested more in crack than human beings.

You can read the whole post here. I doubt that description applies to Akshaye, though.

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